Holder for cleaning cloth



Sept. 4, 1945.

R. L. KINCAID HOLDER FOR CLEANING CLOTH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 31, 1944 1 91, barb Leland Km Sept; 4, 1945. R. 1. KINCAID HOLDER FOR CLEANING CLOTH 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed July 31, 1944 flobertlelalzdlimraid,

Patented Sept. 4, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V 2,384,178; I V HOLDER FOR CLEANINGVCLOTH I Robert Lehnd Kincald,Arlington, Va. 7 Application July 31, 1944, Serial No. 547,345 I I I I (01.15-209) This invention relates to anjimprove'd holder 3 Claims.

for a cleaning cloth, and more particularly to a holder designed to assist in reaching inaccessible places. J v

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a holder of this type which is designed to permit the instantaneous application and removal of a cleaning cloth. I I

I Another object of this invention is to supply a holder for a cleaning cloth provided with means to secure the cloth to the holder, the effectiveness of said, locking means, being ,increased when in operative position by any in crease of tension upon thejcloth.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a holder of the type described to which',a wash cloth can be eifectively secured and readily removed.

A further object of this invention is to supply a holder for a, cleaning cloth provided with a head which is shaped to conform to the surfaces to be cleaned.

' With these and other objects in view, which will be apparent from the subsequent description, the present invention resides in providing a holder which is designed to permit the instantaneous application and removal of a cleaning cloth and which is provided with means to secure the.cloth to the holder, the effectiveness of the locking means being increased when in operative position by any increase of tension upon the cloth. The holder comprises a head attached to a handle which also carries the locking means. The head should be shaped to conform to the type of surface to be cleaned and the cloth selected should be of a type suitable for the purpose for which it is to be used.

The handle and holder may be integral or the head may be made separately and attached to the handle. If desired, the head could be removably mounted on the handle so as to permit an interchange of heads for different cleaning operations. The handle may be made in one or more pieces and can be straight or curved depending upon the type of cleaning operation for which it is especially suited.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the reverse side of the holder showing the manner in which the cleaning cloth is attached.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the holder shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the ring shown in Figure 1 as a means of securing the cloth to the holder.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the reverse side of the holder'showing the manner in which a washcloth is attached. f 1

Figure 5 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the holder shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a. plan view of the reverse side of a modification of the holder in which a square head is employed. l

Figure 'I is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the holder shown in Figure .6.

As shown in the drawings, the improved holder, generally indicated by the numeral I, comprises a head 2 which is attached to the handle 3. The handle 3, adjacent the head 2, tapers inwardly therefrom to form a tapered portion 4 which is encircled by a ring 5. A peripheral collar 6 prevents displacement of the ring from the handle.

Any suitable material may be used in the manufacture of the holder I such, for example, as a synthetic plastic. The handle 3 may be straight or curved, as illustrated in Figure 2, for special purposes such as for use by a bather to permit the back to be scrubbed. However, the holder I may be adapted for use in a variety of cleaning and polishing operations such, for example, as window washing and the polishing of objects such as furniture. Therefore, for many purposes the handle 3 should be straight rather than curved. It would be advantageous for the handle to be made in several pieces so that the length could be varied over a wide range. The extremity of the handle may be formed into a hook I to permit the holder I to be conveniently stored. However, the hooked portion 1 may be omitted.

The head 2 should be shaped to conform to the type of surface to be cleaned. The illustrated convex-concave head is especially suitable to hold a Wash cloth for bathing purposes. However, the invention contemplates the use of heads of various shapes, including the square head 8 shown in Figures 6 and '7.

The construction of the holder I permits a cleaning cloth to be effectively locked to and removed from the holder. This is an important feature for cleaning operations requiring frequent changes of the cleaning coth. In securing a cloth to the holder, such for example, as the large cloth 9 or the wash rag III, the cloth is first draped over the head 2. The free edges of the cloth (which term includes the corners II of the wash cloth I II) are then passed between the tapered portion 4 and the ring 5, and the cloth is locked in position by simply advancing the ring 5 from the position 5' shown in Figure 2 towards the head 2 until a tight engagement with the enlarged end of the tapered portion 4 has been obtained. The holder 1 is then ready for use.

This means of locking the cloth to the holder is a distinct improvement because the effectiveness of thering, as a locking means, is increased when tension is increased upon the portion of the cloth draped about the head 2. As will be readily appreciated, such an increase in tension forces the ringi towards't'he' head 2, thereby causing'a closer engagement with the enlarged end of the tapered portion 4 and a resulting increase in the L I gripping action upon the free ends of the clothdisposed between the ring 5 and the tapered portion 4. This feature is important especially in cleaning operations, such as polishing, in which considerable friction is generated} between the cloth and the surface being cleaned which normally would displace the portion of thecloth positioned on the head 2. a

The ring 5 may be made in one piece such as is In assembling the holder, a ring of this type is heated or otherwise expanded to permitit to slip over the p r pheral collar 6 onto the tapered portion 4,: If desired, the ring 5 rnay'of course be made of two joined pieces. In any event/the unexpanded ring has a smaller diameter than the peripheral collar 5 whi h therefore prevents it from being removed from the handle adjacent the head 2.

While for purposes of illustration only a few forms of the invention have been disclosed, it is believed obvious from the foregoing description that the holder, and particularly the head and handle construction, and the type of cloth employed may be varied to provide a device suitable disclosed in Figure 3 and is preferably of plastic.

2,334,173 for any cleansing, polishing or related operation.

I claim:

1. A holder for a cleaning cloth comprising a head, a handle therefor, the end portion of the handle adjacent the head tapering therefrom, and a ring positioned on the tapered portion and adapted to secure, in engagement with the tapered portion, free edge portions of a cloth draped about the head and extending between the ring andthe tapered portion. 1

2. A holder for a cleaning cloth comprising a head, a handle therefor, the end portion of the -handle adjacent the head tapering therefrom, a L ring positioned about the tapered portion and adapted to secure, in engagement with the tapered 1 portion, free edge portionspf a cloth draped about the head and extending between i the ring and the tapered portion, and a peripheral collar on the handle adjacent the smaller end of the tapered portion, saidcollar having a sufilcient diameter to prevent removal of thering from the handle.

31A holder for a cleaning cloth comprising a convex-concave head, a handle therefor, the end portionof the handle adjacent the concave surfaceof the headtapering therefrom, and a ring positioned about the tapered portion and adapted to secure, in engagement with the tapered portion, free edge portions of a clothdrawn tightly about the head and extending between the ring and the tapered portion, whereby movement of the portion of the cloth encircling the head will force the ring towards" the larger end of 7 the tapered portion thereby increasing the friction between the surfaces in engagement with the extremities of the cloth. V v

' ROBERT LELAND KINCAID. 

